The First Investigation of Rookie Career Police Officer Akechi - Chapter 20
Chapter 20 : The Only Way
“Cr-Crossdressing?” Akechi widened his eyes and asked again. Mayumi answered with a composed expression.
“Yes, pretend to be me and meet Kadono-san.”
“I don’t really understand what you’re saying though…” Due to being extremely agitated, Akechi spoke in Kansai dialect. Mayumi continued.
“Actually, Mr. Kadono had invited me to dinner several times. I had been making various excuses to decline, but he was so persistent that I reluctantly accepted.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“To-Tonight ?!”
As Akechi held his head, he asked Mayumi.
“Sis, is there no other way?”
“No.”
Mayumi replied immediately. Akechi persisted in asking, unable to give up.
“B-but maybe you could talk to him, or arrange another opportunity to listen to what he has to say…”
“I don’t know the investigation information, and I can’t hear what you need to know. If Keiichiro and the others were to listen at another opportunity, I think he would be even more on guard and unable to hear anything.”
“Ko-kobayashi-san….”
Akechi turned towards Kobayashi with pleading eyes. Kobayashi avoided eye contact.
“So-sorry, I can’t think of any other way.”
“Na-natchy-san….”
Akechi, as if he were grasping at a last straw, asked Nakamura. For some reason, Nakamura answered with a shine in her eyes. “There’s no other way, is there? It’s the only clever way.”
“No-no way”
Akechi slumped down on the spot.
“Well, we don’t have much time. We’re going to change. What clothes do you want ? I also need to put on some makeup. Everyone, I’m sorry, but please wait for a while.” While saying that, Mayumi led Akechi out of the reception room, almost dragging him along.
†?†?†
“Sorry to have kept you waiting. Keiichiro, please come in quickly.”
Mayumi returned to the reception room. She called out to Akechi, who was taking a while to enter the room.
Akechi reluctantly enters, wearing a neat white dress, natural makeup, and a wig with the same hairstyle as Mayumi. His appearance was an exact replica of Mayumi.
Seeing Akechi’s appearance, Nakamura quickly took out her smartphone and took a photo.
Akechi’s face turned red and he felt embarrassed.
“Na-natchy-san, please stop! And, sis, do I really need to change into underwear too? It’s, um, a bit uncomfortable to move in…” Seeing Akechi fidgeting seemed to trigger something in Nakamura, and she began taking a series of rapid photos with her smartphone.
†?†?†
Akechi sat down on the sofa. From Kobayashi’s perspective, it was almost as if there were two Mayumis, one in Japanese attire and the other in Western clothing. Mayumi looked at Akechi in the white dress with a satisfied expression.
“I’m glad I prepared various outfits and wigs that would suit Keiichiro, just in case something like this happened.”
While Kobayashi thought it was unlikely for something like this to happen, it actually came in handy, so he didn’t say anything about it and changed the subject.
“Now then, it’s time for the strategy meeting. Mayumi-san, could you please tell us the points to be aware of when meeting Mr. Kadono?”
“Yes, I understand. I first met Mr. Kadono during the on-site inspection of an internal department at the Ministry of Defense in February. After that, we had phone calls and email exchanges due to document submissions and such. However, the situation changed, and he started contacting me to suggest having a meal as a form of appreciation.”
“So, that means this would be the first time in private, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. So, I think we should interact as if we’re meeting each other for the first time. And then there’s the matter of our voices. Since Keiichiro and I naturally have similar voices, I think it should be fine if he speak in slightly higher voices.”
“I understand. Now, what do you want to hear from Kadono?” Kobayashi asked Akechi. Akechi, who was dressed in a white dress, responded with a serious expression.
“Yes, I think we should inquire about whether Mr. Kadono leaked information about the Akabane meeting to a third party, and if so, who that third party is. We also need to understand to what extent he might be involved in the incident.”
“I agree. The rest will depend on the situation on the site. Akechi, you should have your phone on call. The rest of us will wait in a nearby store, listening to the conversation, and be prepared for any emergencies. It would be ideal if we could track the location using GPS.”
“Well, since we’re not recording anything and you won’t be able to hear much of our voices, I think it’s barely an illegal investigation at this level.”
‘I thought it might be a shade of gray bordering on almost black,’ Kobayashi thought to himself, but he said it as if trying to convince himself. Then, he turned towards Akechi, placed his hands on Akechi’s shoulders, and looked him in the eyes.
“The success or failure of this rests on Akechi’s shoulders. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best!”
Akechi, wearing a light pink lipstick, answered with a smile. Kobayashi couldn’t help but feel himself blushing at Akechi’s beauty.
Hi, If you like the novel, please let me know by leaving a rating or review for this series on Novel Updates (?? ? ??)
Translated by : Cutae30